“As you’ve rode into (and in some cases beyond) your forties what differences did you start to see to your body (ie stamina, strength, reflexes etc)?”
BRETT DOWNS – Within a month of turning 46, all of a sudden I felt old for the first time. I had trouble getting out of bed, needed more sleep, was sore and generally tired. My brute strength diminished greatly but the odd thing is, my stamina increased. I talked to other BMX guys and cyclists and they had a similar experience.
ALAN SIBLEY – When I started riding again at 41, as expected after 8 years off my stamina had dwindled a lot. However we aren’t racing or competing so it doesn’t really matter too much, you just sit and chat longer between runs.
Over the next year or so it slowly came back and now if I’m not injured, even at 49 I think I can ride as much as when I was a teenager or any of the younger guys I’m with. Whatever my fitness level is, I always like to leave the skatepark exhausted knowing that I’ve had a good workout and that put some effort in.
JAY BOYD – I don’t think I feel much different physically. I do ache a bit more in the usual places after a good session and I’m probably more tired afterwards. But at least I know I’ll get a good nights sleep.
The reflexes may have slowed a little, or maybe it’s just a bit of dementia creeping in that makes me forget what I m doing, half way trough a trick.
Stéphane Meneau – I did not see much difference on my body; I could still do what I could do before and still could learn new stuff. I mostly felt mentally a significant difference after turning 40, being afraid to see my riding skills decline. This fear is now gone seeing that at 48 my riding feels better than ever.
JAMES WHITE – None! it’s just been such gradual decline, I didn’t notice. It’s only when I look at youthful clips of myself I don’t recognise the speed and vigour. Sometimes I can can feel him laughing at me.
NICK WATTS – It’s a little harder for me to gauge as I only started back riding when I was 42. It wasn’t a steady transition to the fall from grace. I left the sport in my physical prime and never expected to be able to get my old stuff back.
I would say I’m close physically (strength) and mentally, but now lacking the 6 hour staying power. These days it’s about managing the multiple ningiling injuries that keep resurfacing and striking a balance to make sure they don’t shut me down.
It’s definitely all about having the discipline to admit that your done for the day before an injury becomes more serious. I’ve learned over the years to mix up my riding to accommodate what ever injury I’m nursing and give that muscle, knee, wrist, shoulder, calf or whatever is the flavour of the month a rest. It also gives me a chance to work on a trick that was hold or I wouldn’t have otherwise tried.
“How long do you usually ride for and how do you prepare your body for the session?”
BRETT DOWNS – My flatland sessions are 1-2 hours if I’m riding alone. With friends it can be 2-4. Skatepark sessions last 2-4 hours. It’s about the same actual rolling time. I stretch a little before a session, even if it’s only just coasting pushing my heel down to stretch my calf. For flatland I do a triple pinky squeak 5x with a different ride out each time to feel out the bike, weather and my body. For skateparks, I just cruise around and get the heart rate up before I start trying anything.
ALAN SIBLEY – I usually ride for about 2 hours. If I do 3 hours, I need a day off to recover, 4 hours and I’ll probably need 2 days off. I don’t currently do any stretches before riding. I try and start on a mini ramp with a few manuals and gentle runs to check my bike is working well and to get a feel for it again. If I haven’t ridden for a week it can easily take me an hour to get warmed up and comfortable, if it’s been a month, sometimes I’m tired before I’m even fully warmed up.
Ideally 4 X 2 hours sessions a week is perfect, if I can ride for short but often periods I hardly have to warm up at all.
MIKE O’CONNELL – At the moment (due to my current circumstances) I am riding every day, but normally 3 times a week. My normal session is between 1 to 2 hrs, the max I can ride in one go is about 3 ½. Hrs. I always eat beforehand (bananas, cereals etc) and make sure I have plenty of fluids. The winter is much tougher for me, as the colder temperature takes my body much longer to activate, I have a hot bath beforehand and wear a base layer, but on a cold day it can still take me 45 mins to warm up in the car park.
JAY BOYD – I usually ride for 1-4 hours if I’m headed to my local. I try to ride the 15 minute journey there, instead of driving and this helps me limber up along the way. If I’m driving somewhere further away, I do a bit of stretching before I ride and keep it simple for the first 20 minutes or so to let my body warm up. I always try to fuel up before I go riding and take some fruit and cereal bars to keep me going. Ive always got some water with me too. Riding when hungry or dehydrated is horrible.
Stéphane Meneau – One 4 hours session a week (park or trail), sometimes one extra. Session always starts with a little stretching routine, then I like to start with vert, just few axel grinds, then cruising the park, few lip tricks and finally jumps. During lock down, short flat sessions (1 hour) few times a week.
JAMES WHITE – I don’t do a bloody thing to prepare for riding. I’m a BMX rider not a athlete! I drink, I smoke and try and have fun on my bike, nothing more nothing less.
Last year I’ve rode more ever. Nothing related to the COVID situation, work just presented me with a situation (all be it temporary) that allowed me to be at my spot by mid afternoon. I rode for 5 hours some days. No warm up, no warm down (whatever the fuck that is) I would crawl home with every part of my body aching, then drink red wine until the ache goes. Drag myself up the next morning for work and do it all again. It was great while it lasted.
NICK WATTS – I usually ride for around 90 mins each session maybe 5 days a week. Like I said before any more than that and I’m pushing too much. I’m not really one to warm up and maybe I should considering !
“What been the most effective thing you’ve found that’s helped you maintain the general body resilience and strength needed to keep riding?
BRETT DOWNS – Without a doubt, Yoga has kept me able to move. Secondly, working my core with sit ups and leg lifts. Stretching and a strong core alleviates the old guy sore back people always complain about. Taller bars are a band aid at best.
ALAN SIBLEY – The best exercise for riding is to ride. Your working every muscle you need to continue but If I can’t get out I’ll try and do some other exercises. Push ups are excellent they work a lot of muscle groups, don’t require any equipment and can be done anywhere, unfortunately they don’t get any easier the longer I do them. I’ve also got some light dumbbells and try and do a lot of reps about twice a week for an hour but this depends on injuries. Throughout the lockdowns I’ve tried to walk or cycle with the family most days if possible and now try to eat more healthily.
One thing that I’ve noticed, after having Covid 19, three months ago is I’ve lost a lot of motivation to exercise, it’s a real effort to do anything now but hopefully this is more down to the weather being bad and not being able to ride indoors through U.K. lockdowns.
MIKE O’CONNELL – I always try to maintain my general health, which to some will sound really boring, I don’t smoke, I don’t really drink any alcohol, I try and eat healthy homemade food along with going walking. I also try and maintain my weight, 4 years ago I lost 16lbs which I have found really helps my wellbeing. I know I am such a party animal!!! ha-ha. But I believe this approach allows me to ride more, which is most important thing for me.
JAY BOYD – I think the most effective way to keep your riding strength and resilience is simply to spend as much time on the bike as you can. The more you ride, the stronger the muscles you use, become. The confidence increases in line with the strength, making you less likely to hurt yourself.
Also, my job as a carpenter probably helps me a great deal with fitness and resilience, as it keeps me mobile and exercised.
Stéphane Meneau – First of all, regular sessions. Then I started few years ago to eat more healthy food, and changed few habits like taking stairs instead of elevators, riding my bike instead of my car when possible. More recently I took it to the next level by training fitness every day, making me feel much more confident for the future. And of course, always bring a banana for the mid-session break.
JAMES WHITE – Having fun! I don’t care how silly or pathetic that sounds. You go out and have a fun session you only feel the ache to go and do it again the next day.
NICK WATTS – The best medicine is to keep riding and not let your muscles or mind time to relax. I eat healthily most of the time. Thats’s about it. Oh and I do really like a few too many beers after a good sesh to wind down
“Has “taking the slams” changed for you as you’ve got older? How? Do you need more time to heal? If so does this sometimes affect what you’ll try”
BRETT DOWNS – Although I mostly ride flatland, I was also a pro ramp guy so my body is quite beat up. In 2014 I destroyed my shoulder and couldn’t bunny hop for a couple of years. I had to change the way I ride and give up some tricks for a few years. I could no longer pull up so I had to learn to pump harder and differently when riding parks and ramps. Focusing on being smooth for a couple of years made me a better rider and when my body was ready, most of the tricks came back. Healing time is maybe a bit longer but fortunately, I’ve learned to deal with pain. Now getting hurt is more of an inconvenience than anything else.
ALAN SIBLEY – I would say it takes a bit longer to heal as you age, you’ve often got an new injury on top of an older one but once I’m all healed enough to ride regularly I don’t really think about crashing. It’s impossible for it not to cross your mind and you might still be feeling the affects of a serious crash for the rest of your life but when your ripping around a bowl “in the moment” all you can think about is what your doing that second.
If I fell trying a particular trick that’s more of a issue but it always has been. I will try and do it again as soon as I can to beat the fear, especially if it’s something I did regularly and enjoy.
MIKE O’CONNELL – Well, the truth of the matter is, my body aches every single day, and is as stiff as a board first thing in the morning and by the time I go to bed I can hardly move. Back in 2001 I wrecked my ankle on a 180 over a jump box (pretty much for me the last big trick I did) well the ankle still reminds me today to stick to nose picks ha-ha, I have certainly noticed more muscle strains and tweaks as I got older. Flatland is notorious for muscle strains, and I am currently battling an elbow and hand injury. The hand injury is a result of going over the bars and landing on my hand on the flat bottom a year ago. It’s the price you pay for keep pushing yourself to ride into (and hopefully) beyond your 40’s.
It definitely takes my body longer to recover, but I have never classed my riding as a big, burly or just going for it rider, so I will still just try stuff if I think its within my wheelhouse. It’s a mental game you need to know you got it in your head first, then the physical act will follow. Also, you don’t need to go big to have fun on a bike, and sometimes I think people forget that. You can get just as much satisfaction pulling a new flatland combo, or a really long manual line. Remember it’s meant to be Fun.
JAY BOYD – I think my confidence on the bike has increased a lot in the last few years, which has helped me not worry too much about the slams.
If you go for something thinking of the worst case scenario, you’ll probably crash.
It does take a bit longer for things to heal and I’m sometimes guilty of not leaving things long enough. Some tricks I won’t try, not because I fear one big slam, but because I know I’d have to take so many slams to make them happen. I mean tricks like barspins and airborne tail whips. It’s a painful leaning curve that I’m not prepared to go through at fast approaching 53 years old. I don’t need those tricks that badly. But I still fancy the back flip
Stéphane Meneau – I felt that the healing process started to take longer after getting 30/35 yo. It now feels stable. It does not affect what I try as I’ve always been quite careful and always went step by step. Osteopathy has always been my best friend as well when it comes to big crashes, it will make your body heal as fast has it can.
JAMES WHITE – Again, nope!…When I crash as long as I can get up, I will push myself to do the the trick again so I don’t build a mental block over it. Saying that, the longer we ride the bigger the baggage gets of ‘what can go wrong’. That probably has a subconscious effect on my riding, but as long as that’s where it stays, I’m fine.
NICK WATTS – Yeah unfortunately it has. I’ve never really had any bad slams over the years that have stood out and scared the shit outta me. Most of my injuries derive from the constant wear and tear that the great sport of flatland has bestowed. Any injury that would go away after a day or 2 now takes weeks to heal. Flatland is a lot harder on the body than I believe most people realise.
Going back to what holds me back. Since I’ve been a kid I’ve had a bung left shoulder that will dislocate if I raise my arm past 90 degrees. The last time it came out I was hospilised as it wouldn’t go back in. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt and I swear I’ve broken a few bones but this is on a whole other level! Any no handed trick I do you will see I will never raise my left arm past 90 degrees. The fear of falling and dislocating it again is always playing on my mind and that holds me back for sure. I was all set for a shoulder reco too but the whole COVID thing fucked that.
“Anything else to add about how age changes the game and how you have adjusted to deal with it?”
BRETT DOWNS – The biggest change from getting older is in my attitude. I’m still out pushing myself and learning things, albeit at a slower pace, but I don’t feel the need for constant progression or keeping up with anyone. It’s back to doing whatever feels fun. Also, after spending my life doing stunts and tricks, I have a pretty big bag of moves. Just keeping up with the maintenance takes up so much time. I can’t be frustrated with not progressing as quickly as I used to. I’m very aware we are the first generation to keep riding and pioneering BMX the way we did in our youth and that realization means I can’t have any expectations. I just appreciate all my riding and enjoy it.
ALAN SIBLEY – Work and family time commitments are the hardest thing to juggle as you get older. I also hear a lot of riders say they can’t afford to push themselves nowadays because of fear of being off work, which I totally understand but honestly it’s not even on my mind unless I’m trying something completely new and out of my comfort zone.
I don’t really “send it” anymore but do try and push myself to learn new tricks that feel good, even the slightest progression brings me joy and keeps it fresh.
I love to watch other riders for inspiration but no longer try and keep up with learning their tricks, if anything it puts me off copying them. Nowadays it’s enough just to be out on my bike, doing my own thing and having fun.
MIKE O’CONNELL – Well to be honest I am pretty stoked that I am riding at a level I am happy with knowing I will soon be 48. I think it’s pretty cool that I ride at my local with other riders that go to school with my teenage children. I am not one of those riders that is put off by riding if there are loads of younger riders doing their latest flip, whip, bar combo. I think it’s important to remember that if you are riding in your 40’s and beyond, you are without doubt part of the movement that kept riding going and supported the path for where it is today, so be proud you are still riding, and most importantly Have Fun!
JAY BOYD – I think circumstances and life choices are what changes the game more than age. Sure, if you’re older and maybe haven’t looked after yourself as well as you could have physically., then it’s going to be more difficult. But even so, if you make the time to ride , take it steady and keep it fun… You can progress as the years pass by.
I am living proof of this. I am a better rider now than I’ve ever been since getting my first BMX for Christmas in 1981.
My divorce 6 years ago is what got me spending a lot more time on the bike. The desire was always there but finding the time with a young family, while renovating a house, coupled with a surfing addiction was tricky.
My kids are a bit older now so they are becoming more independent, but my eldest skates while my youngest plays football for the club based by the skatepark. So that works out ok.
Stéphane Meneau – Before, riding on a regular basis was enough to stay in shape. It’s now necessary to add extra stuff : care about food, good sleep, physical training, …It will take more efforts aside the bike but that’s the best way to keep doing what we love most and what we do best.
NICK WATTS – Not really. All I know is my younger self would never have thought he’d still able to ride in his mid forties, be challenged, be able to still progress and all while still having a smile on his face. Never too old!
JAMES WHITE – It’s life that gets in the way, not age.